Ward 11

Ward 11 Brian's Beat: Olympic Bid Discussion

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Article Date:
6/23/2016

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On June 20th 2016, Council approved exploring
what a Calgary bid would look like. The steps are that we let the Canada Olympic Committee (COC) know of the City
of Calgary’s desire to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Then, over the next
14 months through an exploration phase, the City will flesh out what a bid
would look like. Part of that work is a full survey and assessment of our
entire existing sports infrastructure.

Then, by Sept 2017, the COC has to decide whether we are
putting in a country bid to the International
Olympic Committee (IOC), and which city will be representing Canada in that
bid. The IOC then will finally decide on the host city in July 2019.

The exploration phase is expected to cost up to $5M, of
which the committee is looking for outside sponsorship. So, this money should
not come solely from the City of Calgary.

The facility assessment work that the committee is going to
do is work that needed doing anyway, and would have cost the city about
$2.5Million to complete.

I think the Olympic Bid is worth exploring for a number of
reasons:

·The IOC is in a reform mode right now to
eliminate the corruption that has been inherent and historical

·The IOC is way more open now in the process for
selecting host cities

·As well, there is a strong emphasis by the IOC
on sustainability and ability to use existing infrastructure rather than
building new glittering stadia and projects

·The 1988 legacy for Calgary was very strong and
I would expect a stronger legacy coming out of a 2026 Olympics for us.

So, with all that considered, and with the benefits for the City of Calgary of
even just doing the exploratory stage, I supported it.

It is important to note that we as a City, will never
undertake the Olympics unless all orders of government are participating and
supporting it. We will know that by Sept 2017.

This content represents the personal views and opinions of the Ward Councillor and should not be taken as a statement of policy of The City of Calgary. The inclusion of any external content does not imply endorsement by The City of Calgary.